Linette Hernandez, sitting with her nephew, Noel Davila, 1, tears up as she speaks at the Spanish American Center in Leominster on Friday about relocating to the area from Puerto Rico after being displaced by Hurricane Maria. See a slide show at photos.sentinelandenterprise.com. SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / JOHN LOVE

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LEOMINSTER -- It's been more than six months since Hurricane Maria displaced many of Puerto Rico's residents, scattering them across the country to unfamiliar new homes.

Of the estimated 234 families who sought shelter in the communities of Leominster and Fitchburg, 14 refugees gathered at the Spanish American Center on Friday to reflect on what their new lives as New Englanders have been like.

The emotional, often-times tearful, gathering was a roundtable discussion in which people shared the stories of their journeys. All of the guests spoke only in Spanish, but their experiences were relayed with the help of a translator.

The Spanish American Center in Leominster on Friday held a roundtable discussion with people who relocated to the area from Puerto Rico after being displaced by Hurricane Maria six months ago. Hector Ramos was among those who told their stories. SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / JOHN LOVE

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Though they lost their homes and jobs in last year's storm, Spanish American Center staff say Mariela Huertas, Alex Cora and their two children are among the luckiest families to come from Puerto Rico.

"It was a very difficult decision as a family, coming here," Huertas said through her translator. "The idea was for (Cora) to move here with relatives first and try to get things expedited for the whole family, but the children were upset and missed their dad. It was a choice to move everyone at the same time, even though we weren't prepared to do so."

This meant the entire family would have to move in with the relatives who initially prepared to house only Cora.

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The four of them all had to sleep on the floor of their relatives' living room for two months before they were able to find a place to stay.

However, things have slowly improved. Cora was able to apply for a full-time job in a local factory two days after arriving and has been earning enough money to support his family. They've since moved into an apartment and are so happy with the education their children are receiving that the couple are making Leominster their permanent home.

Mariela Huerta got a little emotional as she talked about her life since the hurricane. With her is Aniel Cora, 6. SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / JOHN LOVE

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Jennifer Narvaez moved to the area about the same time as Huertaz and Cora, but didn't enjoy the same luck their family had. Navaraez, a mother of three, initially planned to stay with a relative living in Leominster, but was kicked out of the apartment in the middle of a snowstorm when she refused to pay an additional $600 her relative's landlord required.

She was placed in Leominster's Motel 6 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in December and was given a housing certificate. But it wasn't until two weeks ago that she was actually told there was an apartment she and her children could move into.

"Between the last two weeks and now, life has been a 180-degree turnaround," she said through a translator.

The family now has medical insurance and is no longer cooking all of their food in a motel microwave. Narvaez was also able to save enough money to buy a car, but is still struggling to find permanent employment because of her limited English skills, a common problem among those unexpectedly forced to uproot their lives after the hurricane.

Such is the case for Hector Ramos, a former painting and roofing contractor who holds the unique distinction of being one of the few local Puerto Ricans to relocate to the area alone.

Ramos initially arrived in Boston, but was moved by FEMA to Leominster, then Worcester, and eventually back to Leominster, where he hopes to stay.

He met the owner of a local pizza shop since coming back to the area and has been doing odd jobs at the business in exchange for being allowed to sleep in one of the restaurant's spare rooms.

Ramos spends his spare time volunteering at the Spanish American Center.

"He's willing to use whatever time he has to support this agency," said Ramos' translator. "He feels that even though he hasn't come full circle, at least he has survived and has friends."

Even though he acknowledges he is technically homeless in a country where he doesn't speak the language, Ramos explained through his translator that he wants to stay and move beyond a life of just surviving.

"He had his opportunities in Puerto Rico, his successes and his issues. Now he doesn't feel that things aren't so bad that he could do better," he said through his translator. "He plans to stay here and go through all the struggles in Massachusetts and make this his home."

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